Torpedo-placer



(No Model. I

J. O. BOGGS.

TOR-PEDO PLACER.

' Patented May vi Q: m Q

EE E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH OSGARBOGGS, OF HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

TORPEDO-PLACER.

SE'ECIPICATION forming part of Letters'Pate'nt No. 317,079, dated May 5,1885. Application filed April14,1884. (No model) To all whom it mayconcern.-

Be it known that I, JOSEPH O. Bosss, a citizen of the United States,residing at Harrisburg, in the county of Dauphin and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inTorpedo-Placers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, formingpart of this specification, in which Figure 1 is aperspective view of arailwaytorpedo placer with my improvements attached, a portion of thewheel being broken away. Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the same.Fig. 3 is a section 'on line 3 y of Fig. 2, showing magazine and wheel.Fig. 4is a rear view. Fig. 5 shows details of the slotted plunger J andtorpedo, to be referred to.

My present invention relates to means for placing torpedoes on railwaysfrom moving trains; and it consists in the combination of deviceshereinafter explained and claimed.

'It is found difficult at present to put down torpedoes so as to answerthe rules of the several railway companies. These rules require thetorpedoes to be placed far enough apart for their explosions to beeasily counted by the officers in charge of the train. When thetorpedoes are placed too near together,a rapidlypassing train causespractically but a single explosion. For instance, in torpedoplacerswhere the torpedoes are carried in the periphery of the wheel they mustall be put down within a distance not greater than the circumference ofthe wheel,regardless of what the number may be, and, the wheel beingsmall and permanently attached, the operator cannot vary his signals,for the torpedoes are so close together that a rapidly approaching traincauses practically but a single explosion. To overcome these seriousdifficulties, and to enable the operator to distribute his torpedoes atpleasure and put them down so as to communicate with a following train,is the object of my present invention. 1

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe the exactmanner in which I havecarried it out. In the drawings, A represents a metallic frame securedto a post, B, in which frame is journaled the flanged wheel G. In theforward part of the frame A is journaled the rocker-shaft D, to which isattached the lever bar E. The upper or short arm of this leverbar ispivoted to the rod F, which connects it with the lever-bar G,having itsfulcrum in the bifurcated arm H on the post B, as shown in Fig. 1. Thelower or longer arm of the leverbar E is pivoted to a pitman, I, theopposite end of which is pivoted to a slotted plunger, J, as showninFigs. 2 and 5.

From this description of the construction of my device it is evidentthat by moving the upper end of the lever-bar G from or toward the postB the plunger J is caused to move back or forth at the pleasure of theoperator, while the spring h on the postB prevents too sudden a movementof the lever-bar which might cause the plunger to be thrown out ofposition in the raceway d.

On a platform, e, on the forward portion of the frame A, and just infront of the wheel 0, I secure the magazine K, for holding any desirednumber of torpedoes, 00. This magazine is properly shaped to receivesnugly the torpedoes, the torpedoes proper, m, fitting in the centralcircular portion, 00, of the magazine,

and the tin. or lead fastening-straps attached to each torpedo lying inthe elongated chambers on either side, as shown in Fig.3. The outer endsof these fastening-straps maybe bent atright angles at a, so as to dropinto the guide-slots b on each sideof bottom of the magazine, and thussafely guide the torpedo from the magazine to its position on the rail,

when the flanged wheel 0, passing over the fastening-straps, crimps themover the rail and secures the torpedoes in the desired position. Thewheel 0 is provided with an inner and outer flange, as shown in Fig. 4,the outer flange extending slightly below the upper surface of the headof the rail, as shown in Fig. 1. The result of this construction is thatwhile the inner flange holds the torpedo in place on the face of therail the outer flange forces the bent ends a of the strap below andbeneath the head of the rail. I

The plunger J is caused to move back and forth at the pleasure of theoperator, as before stated. In its passage it moves through race way (I,leading immediately beneath the mag azine K, and which is of suflieientsize to receive a torpedo dropping down through the open-bottommagazine. As long as the plunger J is beneath the magazine, being of thesame thickness with a torpedo, the torpedoes are all held up inthemagazine and rest on the plunger; but it is evident that if thelever-bar G be pressed toward the post B the plunger J will be withdrawnforward from under the magazine, and a torpedo will drop into the spacepreviously occupied by the plunger.

Then, if the movement of the lever-bar Gr be reversed, the plunger willbe forced through the raceway b, carrying with it the lower torpedo backonto the rail, where it will be instantly secured by flanged wheel 0, asbefore described.

My improved placer is to be attached to the caboose or rear car of atrain, and supported by any well-known means, as lugs Z, and held by asuitable brace so as to throw the top w. of

the post B rearward, and thus elevate the front of the frame Asufficiently to prevent its being injured by coming in contact with badjoints in the rail. The same result maybe obtained by raising or makingthe lower part of the frame carrying the magazine slightly out ofsquare,which will allow the post to stand perpendicular, if so desired.

Having thus described my invention, what 0 I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a torpedo-placer, the frame A, carrying the flanged wheel 0 andmagazine K, in combination. with the pivoted and slotted 3 5 plunger J,and suitable mechanism for operating the same, consisting of the leverGr, rod F, bar E, and pitman I, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. The frame A and post 13, in combination with the flanged wheel 0,magazine K, and plunger J, moving in a raceway, d, and suitablemechanism for operating the same, con sisting of the pitman I, barE,secured to rocker-shaft D,a rod, F, and lever Gr, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth.

JOSEPH OSCAR BOGGS.

\Vitn esses:

ED. M. Coornn, S. W. FLEMING.

